Schools: Kisumu Day seek national crown

Kisumu Day will face Nairobi region champions Dagoreti High. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

Kisumu Day High School will gun for their first national glory when they represent Nyanza region in under-19 football at the 2019 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association Term Two games at Kisumu Boys next week.

Making a return after a four-year absence, the Kisumu County champions will be seeking to improve on their last performance when they finished as second runners up after getting eliminated in the semi-finals by Pasenga High at Machakos in 2015.

The closest they have come to winning the title was in 2014 when they lost 1-0 to Kakamega High and head coach Booker Odhiambo is confident they can win their first title.

“We have prepared for this year’s games and have had six friendlies and we have lost only one. The boys are in high spirits and I know we will do well,” Odhiambo said.

Kisumu Day will face Nairobi region champions Dagoreti High, Eastern’s Mbooni and Western Regions Ebwali High who replaced St Peter’s Mumias Boys High who were disqualified during the regional games.

Yesterday, Odhiambo urged his charges to maintain discipline and play cautiously saying the other teams have huge talent and it will not be easy to beat.

“We are in a tough pool and I believe the boys will finish on top of the table. Dagoreti and Ebwali have proved to be good teams from their region and we must strive to make it to the next round,” he said.

They will bank on the skills of their midfielders Erick Aucho and Glen Masava who have since impressed from sub-county to regional show.

Odhiambo has called upon all coaches to observe rules and regulations and avoid cases of disqualification and biasedness.

Kisumu Day reached the national finals even after losing to former East African champions Barding High who were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player.

He urged teams to embrace free and fair competition and denied claims they were favoured to represent the region at the nationals.

“We played a free and fair game. Nobody filed any appeal against us but the teams we played against was found culpable and action was taken. 

“These are the cases we hope to remove from the sport for rules are there to be followed. No short cuts,” he said.